The AG2R-Citroën team has turned the page on a 2022 season half fig half grape to open the 2023 chapter with new, higher ambitions.
A few brilliant strokes, with, in particular, the victory of Bob Jungels at the Tour de France last summer in the 9th stage or the magnificent success of Benoît Cosnefroy at the Grand Prix de Québec allowed Vincent Lavenu's men to keep the lead out of the water but the boss of one of the historic teams on the board will not be content with a 15th place in the UCI rankings (end of 2022), especially after the good vintage of the previous year (with a victory of stage and a 4th place overall for Ben O'Connor in the Tour de France).
“
We are not going to hide it, 2022 was a complicated year on the Tour de France, but the team was able to show resilience, combativeness and tenacity
”, underlined the general manager of AG2R La Mondiale Bruno Angles during of the presentation of the team at the Paris headquarters on Monday morning.
“
The balance sheet is more contrasted than the initial hopes
”, also recognized Vincent Cobée, the general manager of Citroën, the other major sponsor of the team, not forgetting that the Savoyard formation, decimated by the Covid and injuries, had finished the Tour de France with three riders.
Read alsoTour de France: Vincent Lavenu recounts his (crazy) 30-year adventure in the peloton
The team wants a victory in one of the five "Monuments"
“
We know the weight of the Tour de France over a season.
You can count on us to show the jersey at the front and try to achieve success
, ”replied Vincent Lavenu setting, in addition to the Grande Boucle, an additional mission for his men: to win in one of the five "Monuments", to choose between Milan-San Remo, the Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix, Liège-Bastogne-Liège and the Tour of Lombardy.
“
We often finished second or third and we want to win one.
We will do everything to fulfill this objective
”, warned Lavenu who also wants to “take
care of the number of victories
” despite the absence of a great sprinter within the team.
“
We are aiming for between 15 and 20 in 2023
”, quantified the manager.
A stable budget at 23 million euros
To meet the objectives, the training will rely on a stable budget, at 23 million euros.
"
We announce our real budget, which is not always the case for other teams... It's a budget that puts us in a good average of world teams
", explained Lavenu.
The workforce, maintained in its main lines, has been reinforced by small touches (recruitment of Franck Bonnamour, ex-B&B Hotels) and hopes to rely on its efficient training center, based in Chambéry.
Twelve runners out of the twenty-nine are under 25 years old.
Symbol of this breeding ground for talent: Bastien Tronchon, 20, who had offered himself a magnificent victory at the Tour de Burgos, among the professionals, while he was still an amateur.
The same leaders as last year
The Chambérien, who signed his first professional contract, will benefit from a few years ahead of him to perfect his learning.
It's up to the same leaders as last year to stand out during major events.
The pillars of the team are still there.
They are named Benoît Cosnefroy, who will discover the Flandriennes this year, the Belgian Greg van Avermaet, Olympic champion in Rio in 2016 but from whom we are still waiting for a first victory with the French team.
Australian Ben O'Connor also owes his teammates revenge after a failed Tour de France 2022 (two falls had forced him to retire).
Finally, Aurélien Paret-Peintre will have a very good card to play on the Giro, tailored to his profile as a climber.
The 26-year-old runner will chain the
Italian event with Tour de France with a little idea in mind during the Annemasse – Morzine Les Portes du Soleil stage and a scheduled start at home.
"
I know all these roads well, especially at the start of the stage, it will be nice to play at home and I necessarily want to do well
, "said Le Figaro le Savoyard, promising 15th in the Grande Boucle in 2021, but forced to withdraw in 2022 due to a positive Covid test.
He too, like the team whose colors he wears, has revenge to take.